Ngapet, Leon or Grotzer? Selecting the 2024 Olympic Games MVP in men’s volleyball
Pyotr Kondakov August 13, 2024, 14:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The French were crowned champions, but who was the best?
The 2024 Olympic Games are already history. The men’s volleyball tournament was very brilliant and ended with a victory for the hosts, the French national team. For the second consecutive victory and for the second time in a row, the organizers recognized Erven Ngapet as MVP. But at Paris 2024, many were brilliant. Do you agree with the experts’ choice?
France was unstoppable in the final:
France is the champion in volleyball, Poland takes silver. Ngapet and company are the strongest!
We’ll leave it up to you to answer this question. Seven contenders, one winner. You have to rank them from best to worst.
This rating, like all others, is created by the users of the “Championship”. The semifinalist volleyball teams are assigned according to the votes of online users.
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Important: The “Ranking” feature is available only in the regular version of the “Championship”. If you accessed this material through the search page, you will see a generated list without voting buttons.
Ranking: Who was the best player in the 2024 Olympic men’s volleyball tournament?
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Erven Ngapet
Frankly, I made a fool of myself last season in Turkey, preparing for the Olympics. He missed almost the entire Nations League due to injury, but managed to recover and proved that he is the leader of this team. Starting from the semi-finals, I showed my best volleyball. He brought the strongest serves to the setter’s nose, together with Zhenya Grebennikov he cleaned everything up in defense and scored crazy goals with astonishing ease. Ngapet is a hooligan, but when the team is at its best, this hooliganism only helps the French.
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Trevor Kleveno
It was his appearance in the lineup that became key for France. Yassin Luati started the tournament as the main player, but Kleveno successfully came on as a substitute and did not give up his place in the starting eleven. In the playoffs he never dropped below 50% of his attacks. And it was he and Jean Patry who had the difficult balls. This is Trevor’s best tournament in his career. Previously he was a cage player, nothing more.
Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Antonio Brizard
The playmaker confidently led the French attacking game. He also discovered his talent as a thrower at these Olympics. 11 aces! Only Wilfredo Leon has more. Just a couple of years ago, Brizard was not unconditionally the main player, not even in this year’s Nations League, Andrea Giani often placed Benjamin Tognutti as a starter. But Brizard celebrated the Olympics at a very high level.
Photo: volleyballworld.com
Wilfredo Leon
He is not the most obvious candidate, because the Poles lost the final without any special chances. But without Leon this final might not have happened. The naturalized Cuban took the lead in a situation where Bartosz Kurek missed and the runner-up Tomas Fornal played injured. Leon almost single-handedly stole the end of the fourth set of the semifinal against the United States, and his serve baffled his hosts 15 times during the tournament. Before the Olympics, the hitter did not look so bright and did not always fit into the team’s game. But the performance in Paris proved that the Polish national team needed Leon.
Photo: volleyballworld.com
Micah Christenson
He didn’t always look confident at the end of matches, but it was largely thanks to him that the US team reached the bronze medals. Objectively speaking, the Zenit Kazan setter had a harder time than others. More often than not, he was forced to think of something when a move was eliminated, and his options in attack were not so obvious. Of the US team’s wingers, only Anderson showed an elite level, but Defalco and Russell played with swings. Christenson remains one of the best setters in world volleyball.
Photo: volleyballworld.com
Matthew Anderson
This kid has a unique ability: he is at his best at the right moment. The 37-year-old veteran did not impress at all in either the club season or the Nations League, but he transformed himself in Paris! Matt was the main option in the American attack and deservedly received bronze. And he could have played in the final. It was not enough at all. By the way, he will finish the match in Los Angeles, which was a pleasant surprise. The US national team still has no replacement for Anderson.
Photo: volleyballworld.com
Georg Grotzer
Even more unexpected was Georg Grotzer’s statement that he plans to play for the German national team. Georg will turn 40 in November, but with him and without him Germany are different teams. In Paris, the Germans made a lot of noise, beating Japan and almost eliminating the eventual champion, the French national team, in the quarter-finals. Germany was leading 2:0 and Grozer was spectacular, deciding the fate of the second set with his serve. Of course, the veteran is no longer always enough for the entire match, but his serve remains a formidable weapon. Georg’s performance was undoubtedly the highlight of the Olympic Games.
